Vocations which we wanted to pursue, but didn't, bleed, like colors, on
the whole of our existence. -Honore de Balzac, novelist (1799-1850)
The Royal Crescent is a street of 30 terraced houses laid out in a sweeping crescent in the city of Bath, England. Designed by the architect John Wood the Younger and built between 1767 and 1774, it is among the greatest examples of Georgian architecture to be found in the United Kingdom and is a Grade I listed building. Although some changes have been made to the various interiors over the years, the Georgian stone façade remains much as it was when it was first built.
- Hi Derek and Gale!
Trust you are both well. We had some sad news yesterday as Michele's mother, Sheila, died, after a lengthy battle with cancer. Michele was with her so she was grateful to be there along with her brother, Roger. Sheila had said that she was waiting to see her newest great-grandchild, Avery Sheila, daughter of Rebecca and Corey, M's/W's middle child, as family was flying to Nova Scotia yesterday. Sadly, she slipped away before newborn and her parents arrived.
On a brighter note, I couldn't be happier with the Navigator. Felt comfortable, from the get-go, on the 21" frame and it has been smooth sailing ever since. Jim was a wonderful, wonderful, helpful and patient domestique/guide for first two rides but since then I have been on my own. (Unfortunately, he came down with a bladder infection the night we arrived and has been on antibiotics ever since. Medication has helped but he is still not completely over ordeal and as you can imagine he has been quite uncomfortable at times and has not really felt like riding last two times I was out.) Rode into York yesterday to have Navigator undergo a quick tune-up/adjustment. Bit early, in terms of suggested time for new bike overhaul, and nothing is out of whack but I figured I might as well take advantage of free service maintenance that comes with purchase before leaving for Cornwall.
Nearest dealership to where you are is in Bristol, I believe, and that is probably not an option, given distance, time, etc., so I probably will take it to an Evans outlet in Mill Hill, should I feel I need to do so, day before before I leave for France. Steve, at Evans in York, said that if I show my purchase receipt to shop there they will probably do another maintenance check for free as it should qualify for the six week check-up/tune-up. Night before, Jim walked me through a basic route to York, village by village, until I needed to cross city itself. Since we rode back to Wetherby once I had picked up Navigator morning we arrived, I was somewhat familiar with centre of town.
Not a huge place in any event so I was not overly concerned about finding my way. As well, since I have accepted that I will have to un-clip from time to time anyway, I feel a great burden has been lifted from my obsessive compulsive shoulders and I can actually stop to ask directions or even, worse, order a latte!
Am just as delighted with my new Garmin Edge 200. Since it is uses GPS technology there isn't even a magnet to worry about and each ride is easy to download to Garmin Connect, their website. I certainly don't know how to use/invoke all the features on either the odometre or the on-line website, yet, but I'm learning as I go and what data I have is more than enough. The fact that the AVG speed is displayed is terrific, along with current speed, so that is really all I need for now.
We left Wetherby about 9:45 am and Jim accompanied me as far as Thorp Arch Trading Estate which occupies major part of the site of a former Royal Ordnance Factory, about 10 K's away, near Boston Spa. I'd first been there in 1997 when I visited the British Library Lending Division. Cora Lee, of course, stayed in York to power shop! I waved goodbye to Jim here and carried on to to Healaugh, Askham Richard, Askham Bryan, all on fairly quiet country roads. Took a wrong turn into Rufforth before a helpful DHL driver set me straight, back on the Wetherby Road, across a roundabout on A1237, through Acomb and from there, (after inquiring of a woman on a bicycle loaded with groceries and to two elderly men, both Italian by their lovely accents, at a bus stop), I made my way with little difficulty into center of York, past the railway station, and walls we'd walked last Friday, out towards Monk's Cross Shopping Centre.
As soon as I was out of busier part of city traffic was less of an issue and even had a dedicated bike path to follow. However, I knew I was not on the road we'd followed when Jim and I returned to Wetherby last Wednesday. Had a fairly good idea that I was a bit northwest of where I needed to be and this was born out by a number of pedestrians I accosted along the way. A few dipsy doodles later, to correct myself and I was on New lane and then Jockey Lane. Once riding along the latter I recognized the bike path on the opposite side of the street as one we'd first ridden upon after leaving Evans so I knew I close to shopping centre.
Rolled up to Evans Cycles at just before noon and handed over my bike to Steve. He reckoned mechanic would need it for about 30-40 minutes so I took opportunity to walk to nearbye Sainsbury's. Used their washroom facilities and then munched on the carrot sticks and cheese I'd brought along, wandering the complex.
Noticed a number of individuals washing
cars right in the parking lot, the water and sponges on small carts
obviously designed for this purpose. Signs on carts read something like
Car Wash from £5 while you shop. Not a bad idea, actually, and all three
of the carts I happened to see were always busy.
Once I finished my appetizer, I went back into Sainsbury's and purchased a picnic lunch: three panini rolls and three mini-loaves, two lemon and one sponge, (all baked goods were 3 for 2, 89p), and some ham ends, (on special for 99p/100g), and then munched them, (only one roll and one loaf as rest were for eating on today's drive), sitting on the large pipe of a bike rack, in the shade, watching life go by. A few minutes after I'd found my spot I heard some terrible shouting, almost screaming coming from behind me.
I was facing away from the front of the store and when I turned to look I saw two, highly agitated women, the face of the older of the two appeared almost purple and contorted with rage, accosting quite an elderly man wheeling a heavily laden cart back towards his car, I assumed. It turned out, (I gathered all this from what I could hear of the heated comments and from those of other onlookers), that the women had noticed two dogs in this chap's car and were incensed that he had left them so constrained in this heat.
At any rate, it was quite a disturbing encounter, both for the underlying cause and for the sheer vehemence of the verbal attack. I honestly thought that the younger of the two woman, (the other's daughter?), was physically going to strike the owner at one point. Aside from anything else, it reminded me of another dog incident we witnessed in Grasmere this past Sunday. Some sort of terrier, I believe, literally attacked a beautiful Lab, I think. Terrier was off leash and its owner couldn't restrain it or prevent it from savaging the other dog.
Lab's owner actually fell on the ground in an attempt to protect his pet and all involved were certainly, at least in my opinion, of being bitten themselves. Lab was bleeding from its hind leg and quarters when all was said and done, limping when it moved. The wife, (I assume), of the chap who fell down was livid, as you can imagine, and her language was pretty foul, to say the least. A horrible situation and I could almost weep for the gentle Lab which really never, ever acted aggressively, suffering in silence, as it were, almost a mournful expression on its handsome face. From what Cora Lee overheard, (She and Chris/Jim were much closer to the scene), she thought that the Lab's owners were going to lodge a complaint. Again, terrier's owner was at fault. And here I thought that the Brits were such easy-going, retiring people!!!
Knowing I had at least another 40 K ahead of me, went back to use washroom facilities again and then collected my bike from Evan. All was well, as I imagined it would be, and I set off. felt pretty confident, a this point, having traversed route before, so I was soon cycling past the Minster and then threading my way, by guess and by golly, through centre of town. Took a wrong turn and found myself on the way to Leeds before a kind Scot from Glasgow set me straight. (He had lived in Calgary and when I told him I was from Vancouver he said he had wanted to move there but knew if he did, he'd not have come back. I said it was a good thing otherwise he wouldn't have been in York to help me with directions. We chuckled and I thanked him and waved goodbye.)
After this, didn't take long for me to find my way back through Acomb and on to Rufforth. However, once here I took a wrong turn and made for Long Marston instead of going south towards Askham Bryan. Knew I had not cycled this way earlier but still felt confident I was traveling in right, general direction. On to Bilton-in-Ainsty and then I did start to wonder where I was until I stumbled, more or less, into Walton and from there I saw a sign which directed me to Thorp Arch. Once here I quickly oriented myself using some of the WW II buildings Jim had pointed out earlier and was able to find the bikepath along a former rail line to take me right into Wetherby. I was quiet pleased with myself as I negotiated a route right through the town to find myself almost on the Brownlee's doorstep. At this point I had 85 K on the clock so decided I try for 100 K, given that I'd had almost an hour break while waiting in York. This being he case I made for Collingham and then back towards Linton, taking a dipsy doodle to Wood Hall, a lovely hotel C/J had shown us earlier in visit, and then on to complete the Sicklinghall Loop.
Back home with with 100.34 K on the clock. Only slight but annoying disappointment was my AVG as I hadn't turned of the GPS powered Garmin ans so it faithfully tracked my perambulations around Monk's Cross. When I left Evans I noticed that my AVG was 12.5 KPH and could only imagine that shop mechanic had taken bike for a test ride. Then I realized I had odometre in my pocket whole time, thinking that I'd effectively stopped ride, being used to my magnetic driven odometre back in Vancouver! Still, a grand ride. Now I need to replicate distance in Cornwall without touching the ground!
Fabulous two days in The Lake District. Had hoped to climb Catbells before we headed south this past Tuesday but we had the first rain in weeks that morning. Incredible thunder and lightning and heavy downpours so a walk on the fells was simply out of the question. Left The Grange, our hotel, at around 9:45 am and made our way back to Wetherby by about 3:00 pm.
Here is the link for yesterday's ride:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/347587677#.UfDP7vgClM8.email
Will probably send another message or two from Bath or Street where Cora Lee has contacted her 3rd cousin! In the meantime, could you send along your actual street address and phone numbers as I'm ashamed to admit that I left my address book in Vancouver! Thanks and Cheers, Patrizzio!
Pics: Beer and landscape, (Buttermere), to lure you to Yorkshire!
Hi Jim and Chris! Just a short note to thank you both again for the simply wonderful, wonderful stay. As well, do appreciate your acting as a vehicular domestique, Jim, leading us through York. Thought that we might have lost you with snarl-up just outside station!
All went well but truck traffic was ultra heavy for first hour or so. Bit of a strain as I wasn't ye quite used to everything. However, I soon felt pretty comfortable and had a chance to really practice my round-about skills when Navigator thought we had missed turn-off from M5 to M4. As we discovered, we could have continued on the M5 but before that had to do a bit of unnecessary dipsy doodling before we returned to M5. Smooth sailing after that until we had a bit of trouble finding the Holiday Inn Express which Cora lee booked online from the car. In fact, quite enjoyed driving around bit of centre of city, getting an overview of place. Talked to a passing cabbie and he gave us a list of directions that could choke a horse so I thanked him and set off in general direction. Stopped at a car dealership a few minutes later and directions Coriandre obtained led us to our home away from home.
Quite comfy and we had a bit of a laugh as we are in a disabled-fitted room so we have to be careful not to set off any of the many alarms that seem to be in place for the elderly/infirm. Unfortunately we both qualify on those counts! Will have showers and a change of clothes and go for an exploratory walk. There is an Indian restaurant right across the road from us so we think we will probably have dinner there. Menu from Front Desk shows all the dishes that are gluten-free so pleased about that. Sainsbury a block or so away so we will stop there for some cold wine for a drink before dinner.
York Railway Station!
Have booked in for two nights so will spend tomorrow seeing the sights, walking the town, etc. Cora Lee sent a message to her 3rd cousin, Chris Durston, and we might meet him here as he is in Bath for his mother's hip surgery.
Anyway, just wanted to let you know that we arrived safely, without incident. I'm feeling pretty comfortable, though far from over-confident, about driving now so quite relieved, to tell you the truth!
Again, we both cannot thank you enough for making our visit to Wetherby and The Lake District and environs such a memorable experience. Furthermore, your generosity knew no bounds and we thank you for such unstinting hospitality and kindness and warm friendship. Will be in touch with more riding statistics but for now, all the best from Cora Lee to you both. Cheers, Patrizzio! Pic: Oakhill House. Luxury! Sheer Luxury! Fond Farewell. Room with a view!
Intimate, comfortable space with wonderfully friendly, charming and attentive serving staff. Food was remarkably delicious from start to finish: Carmelized peaches/green peppers and crumbled chorizo sausage saladi for an appetizer then a subtle Lemon sole for my partner, Calves Livers, on a bed of Rainbow Swiss Chard with a tangy mustard seed sauce for myself, paired with a 2010 Mas des Argrunelles L'Indigène, 13%, Syrah, Grenache, Carignan, from Coteaux du Languedooc, selected from an excellent wine list.
Hi Patrick!
Thanks for your newsy email and photos. The Lake District is lovely and I will get there at some point it's just those aggressive northerners that put me off! I have to say that some people are brain dead when it comes to leaving dogs in vehicles in these temperatures but there are better ways of handing situations than the one you encountered!
Very sorry to hear about Michele's mother. Difficult time and even though one thinks one is prepared the reality is quite different.
My sister Margaret has to go in for another operation tomorrow on her bladder. Looks like the cancer is in the bladder muscle so they may have to remove the bladder completely. Quite unexpected. However, at least they have not delayed the operation so fingers crossed that all will be well.
We now have the date for Joan's funeral which will be on August 1st. So that means we can spend most of the day with you on July 31st then drive up to London around 4pm. We will stay in a Travel Lodge overnight. The funeral will be at 11am which means we can leave London at around 3pm to return to Cornwall. This will work and wont interfere with our trip to the Minack the following day on August 2nd.
Before I forget our address is Sydney House, Blackwater, Truro TR4 8HH. We are second floor apartment. As you approach the Chiverton round a bout you will see a sign to St Agnes (you should be in the right hand lane) This is a sometimes busy and confusing round a bout. Once you have exited off the Chiverton round a bout you will almost immediately come to a smaller one. The first exit goes to Starbucks and the petrol stations, the second goes to Blackwater and the third to St Agnes. Once you have exited towards Blackwater, continue on down the hill through the village (don't blink or you will miss it!) past the Red Lion pub on your right. Continue on for not that far and you will see some cottages on your right then immediately a stone house right on the road. Just past the house is a driveway (there is a sign on the grass verge saying Kimber Upholstery). Go up the drive and Halfway up is an entrance to a gravel car park with a shed in one corner. Our apartment is on the top level.
Phone numbers: Home My mobile Gayle's mobile Any problems just give me a call.
Marnie, Ant and Tristan and the dog arrived yesterday and will be staying with us until the day prior to your arrival. I said to them we need a day to get the place back into some sort of order before you arrive since it usually looks like a bomb has hit the place after they leave! They will be leaving us and spending a few days in North Cornwall at a friends place before heading back to Southampton.
So glad the bike is working out so well. You are certainly racking up the mileage! No fear of you getting lost in any major city down here since we don't have any! Although we won't have a lot of time with you I hope we can get out a couple of times before we leave. Perhaps on the 31st we could cycle to Trelissick and meet the ladies for a coffee. Then maybe do a short walk and cycle to the Punchbowl pub for a snack. The ladies can then drive home and we can continue cycling back. Weather permitting! We have finally had quite a bit of rain overnight and temperatures have dropped to the norms for this time of year. Just hope the weather hasn't completely changed!
I took the dog out early this morning for a walk and then we all headed to the Pandora pub for some lunch. Gayle and Marnie have now gone into Sainsbury to get some groceries, Ant and Tristan are having a snooze so I think I will go clean the car. On second thoughts I have just noticed, looking out the window, that Gayle has taken our car into Truro!
Glad Cora Lee was able to hook up with her cousin! Look forward to seeing you on the 30th. Let us know roughly what time you would expect to arrive. Best wishes Derek
Harrods and The Dalmore Create World's Rarest Whisky Collection
GLASGOW, Scotland, July 16, 2013 /CNW/ - The world's leading luxury retailer has teamed up with one the world's finest malt whisky brands to create a truly unique collection of rare whiskies.To view the Multimedia News Release, please click:The Dalmore Paterson Collection - the only one of its kind in the world - goes on sale and will take pride of place in the newly refurbished Fine Spirits Room at Harrods from 16 July 2013 for £987,500.One Man's Lifelong PassionConsisting of twelve bottles, each rare expression has been individually assessed, nosed, tasted and selected by Richard Paterson, master distiller of The Dalmore, from some of the rarest, oldest and most valuable stock in the world. But he was not alone in this enviable task as Nick Fleming, wine and spirits buyer for Harrods, used his unrivalled expertise to help choose the whiskies.Richard has chosen to name each of these whiskies, dating from 1926 up to the 1990s, in honour of those people who have influenced and inspired him throughout his career, from his own father and grandfather to the founders of The Dalmore's parent company, James Whyte and Charles Mackay.The personality of Richard Paterson has also been imprinted on the Collection through the creation of a personal and unique hand written ledger, spanning more than 200 pages and taking more than 1000 hours to write, capturing Richard's every thought and step on the way to creating the collection.Bespoke, Hand Crafted Ledger, Decanters And CabinetThe ledger has been created by John Watson & Company Ltd, one of Glasgow's oldest printers and long serving suppliers to the whisky industry. Each of the pages have been hand folded and individually foiled in silver with Richard's signature before being bound in a bespoke book made of the finest calfskin leather.Each of the twelve expressions is presented in a hand crafted full lead crystal decanter, produced by Glencairn, one of the world's leading crystal houses. Luxury jeweller Hamilton & Inches have crafted and hand engraved the silver that adorns each bottle.The collection itself is housed in a bespoke wooden cabinet, created by one of Britain's leading cabinet makers, Gavin Robertson through more than 700 hours of design and craft.The Global Market For Luxury Whisky ThrivesThe global market for luxury wine spirits continues to flourish with growth of 12% forecast in 2013. This growth is fuelled by a combination of factors, including the continued rise of the Chinese luxury consumer accounting for one in four purchases of personal luxury goods, and the rise of luxury tourism accounting for 40% of global luxury spending. (Bain & Company "Luxury Goods Worldwide Market Study" 2012)The global market for luxury whisky in particular mirrors this trend, with emerging markets such as Latin America and Asia demonstrating particularly strong demand for rare and vintage expressions. A voracious appetite for single malt is also prevalent across mature markets such as the US, where luxury whisky is one of the most dynamic sectors of the US spirits market with volume sales increasing by 16% in 2012 (CandMResearch, 2013).QuotesThe Dalmore master distiller Richard Paterson said: "Working alongside Harrods, we have created a collection of whiskies of the very highest quality that can truly lay claim to be the only one of its kind in the world. I personally have invested a huge amount of time ensuring that each of these twelve expressions represent the very best of the incredibly rare and valuable stocks that we nurture up at the distillery in Alness. I'm delighted that we have been able to give this collection the showcase that it deserves, with centre stage in the spirit room of the world's number one luxury retailer."Bruce Langlands, director of food at Harrods, said they have no concerns about finding a buyer for this unique collection. "If we had any doubts at all about selling such an incredible range of whiskies we wouldn't have spent so much creating them in the first place with The Dalmore. It is the flagship product for our new spirits room, and has pride of place in its bespoke hand crafted cabinet. I'm more concerned that we sell it too quickly and we lose an outstanding talking point and attraction in the spirits room!"John Beard, chief executive of Whyte & Mackay which owns The Dalmore brand, added: "This is a true partnership between The Dalmore and Harrods, with much time and energy dedicated to creating something very special. Nobody has ever launched a whisky collection such as this before. It represents the lifetimes work of one of the whisky industy's most dedicated, respected and loved characters - Richard Paterson. Whoever buys this will own a truly unique collection of whiskies as well as a little bit of Richard himself as he has put so much in to the creation of this collection.Further information on The Dalmore:Dating back to the days of King Alexander III, The Dalmore gained its iconic 12-point stag emblem in 1263 when one of the Mackenzie clan saved the king from being gored by a stag.Unlike other whiskies The Dalmore is produced in very limited quantities. Due to the distinctive distillation process no two batches will be exactly the same, ensuring that each release of the The Dalmore is unique.The Dalmore distillery houses some of Scotland's most precious and rare whisky stocks. Home of the record-breaking The Dalmore Trinitas 64 year old and a number of other rare expressions such as Sirius, Selene, Candela and Oculus, it is no wonder that whisky investors, collectors and aficionados keep a watchful eye on this collection.SOURCE: Dalmore Whisky
Pat. We think you should buy one for the trip. W
Hi Patrick and Corinne, Big party was fabulous and very elegant!!! I then
had a gathering at my house on sun, had a beach bbq last night. My
Edmonton daughter arrives tonight with her family so will have a busy
family weekend which is great! tks for the pictures, keep them coming. joanne.
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